Key Super Smash Bros Ultimate events in 2021
sebaseba - February 15, 20212020 was a year of trials and tribulations. The global pandemic put a massive stop to nearly all offline events and forced most of the world to stay inside and soldier. Even though esports event managed to maintain some semblance of continuity. Many others had fallen by the wayside and repeated the magic words "once the pandemic is over."
For Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, it was no different. Within the first two months, though, we managed to see the EGS Cup 3, Glitch 8, Genesis 7, and Frostbite. But silence after that. Get On My Level, Summit, and many more were postponed "until after the pandemic.".
And so the cycle of events canceling went for the whole of 2020. There were, of course, some LAN events, particularly in Asia. But none came close to filling the growing wants of competition for audiences.
Looking Forward to 2021
Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Vaccines are rolling out, but it's a process that will take time, and until enough people have been vaccinated to start working with herd immunity, well we will resume "after covid restriction ease."
But nothing says we can dream about what might be coming down the pipeline, and potentially soon. If we take it that events might resume in around six months, we can look forward to EVO of all tournaments to be the opener for returning to normalcy.
With Super Smash Con potentially after, which is slated to be from August 12th to the 15th, Shine is also a possibility soon after, leading into a potential Glitch 9 at the tail end of September.
Although surrounded by the #FreeMelee controversy, there is a genuine possibility of The Big House 10 happening sometime this year and in person. But these are pretty much all events from 2019 that did not get a chance in 2020 to show themselves.
Returning from 2020 could be GENESIS and Frostbite, even if they do come later than expected. And there is always a chance for brand new events to move in. Plus, a return to the mostly regional and local format of the Super Smash Bros scene would be a pretty sight after so many months of having to lockdown.
What will Offline events look like "after it is over"?
In case it wasn't apparent, this pandemic has fundamentally changed the outlook of person gatherings as a whole forever, or at least potentially forever. There are bound to be new rules in place when events resume.
There could be offline events for participants but not the public, as was seen in some places. That made it much easier to keep people in their bubble and avoid potential vectors for the virus to spread. That also reduces the number of people needed to produce the events, again minimizing risks.
Another possibility is to limit the number of spectators to a fraction of what venues could accommodate. Fewer people make it easier to maintain social distance guides. The same theme is to hold the events in open spaces, though there are not many venues that have such open spaces and enough production infrastructure to conduct a tournament.
Finally, vetting. Vaccines are rolling out now, and many activities, like flying, already require some evidence of negative results. There might be events soon that require proof of vaccination or negative results to participate or spectate.
Regardless of the eventual form of tournaments to come, sites like DashFight, which track most of the well known Super Smash Bros Ultimate events, are well poised to note down and track the development of these events. And connect fans with their passion.
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